Sheep farming getting popular in Bogura

Low investment and high returns have encouraged more people, particularly young entrepreneurs, in Bogura’s Sariakandi Upazila to take up sheep farming.

Due to its promising prospect, young entrepreneurs are getting more interested in sheep farming and setting up more farms on commercial basis in different areas, including the vast grassland beside the Jamuna River in the upazila.

Besides, it has created much enthusiasm among the entrepreneurs as it earns more profit in a short time and with a small investment.

Ashraf Ali, one such entrepreneur, has set up a sheep farm on his homestead in Batir Char of the upazila. “After my retirement, I was sitting idle at home. After being motivated by my son, I started my farm with 25 Garol sheep breed some 11 months back. Now I have 124 sheep on my farm,” he said.

The cost of sheep rearing is comparatively low, but the profit is relatively high. I sold 30 Garol sheep a few days ago and expanded my farm with the money, he said.

Seeing Ashraf’s success, a good number of young entrepreneurs of the upazila have set up sheep farms in their respective areas.

Many of the farm owners said a ewe gives birth to two to five lambs twice a year. A full-grown sheep, aged nearly two years, produces 30 kg to 35 kg of meat, which costs the same as local varieties of mutton. They said sheep meat has high demand at five-star hotels of the capital.

Ashraf’s son, Nazmus Sadat, a deputy assistant agriculture officer of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said, “After researching the prospect of sheep farming, I told my father to opt for the profession in his free time. Now he is earning a good profit from his farm as the meat has high demand in the local market.”

The selling price of one kilogram of sheep meat is Tk 800. Ashraf and other rearers of the area sell medium-size sheep for Tk 6,000 each and pregnant sheep for Tk 12,000 to Tk 13,000 each.

“I recently sold two pregnant sheep for Tk 30,000. Female sheep gets pregnant at eight months of age, and they eat outside grazing grasslands across the Jamuna riverside. Therefore, the feeding cost is minimal, but the profit is higher,” he said, adding that he spends Tk 15,000 to Tk 16,000 as production cost for his farm.

Robin Miah, an undergraduate student and a farmhand of Ashraf’s farm, said, “I help Ashraf to rear his sheep. I spend the money I earn from the farm to bear the cost of my education. I also help out my family.”

Nazmus Sadat, a deputy assistant agriculture officer of DAE, said there is no protein-value difference between the meat of sheep and goat or cattle. Even sheep meat is enriched with more protein in comparison to goat and cattle. He also said sheep is more resistant to disease than other domestic animals.

Rejaul Karim, a field officer of the Sariakandi Livestock Office, said that if the government facilitates sheep rearing and provides incentives, training, interest-free loans to rearers, the marginal people of the area can be benefitted and empowered.

Noor-e-Alam, a livestock officer of the upazila, said they offered training and necessary advice to the sheep farmers.

But refuting his claim, farmers said no such initiative had been taken yet.